Beam connector unit



Aug. 26, 1969 v. R. P. sAxE BEAM CONNECTOR UNIT T .2 G 1% 1 P m m 3 2 FIG.2.

' VAN RENSSELAER P. 5AXE ATTORNEY! United States Patent 3,463,524 BEAM CONNECTOR UNIT Van Rensselaer P. Saxe, 1701 St. Paul St., Baltimore, Md. 21202 Filed Aug. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 662,753 Int. Cl. F16b 1/00, 5/00 U.. CI. 287-18936 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is directed to an improvement on my prior Patent No. 3,017,972, dated January 23, 1962, relating to connection units for erecting columns and beams, and are generally known in the trade as erection clips.

The units described in the above patent are made by forging procedures, and have successfully fulfilled their objective in a multitude of installations. However, on some occasions, which are extremely rare, in the erection of steel beam and column buildings, a beam being lifted by a sling for positioning with related columns may, for some unpredictable reason, deviate from its intended path and strike another beam already in place so that the interlocked leg and yoke connection described and illustrated in my aforementioned patent are disengaged before they are permanently secured in place.

As shown, for example, more particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the patent, the depending leg of the bracket attached to the horizontal beam is provided with a uniformly arcuate or curved toe portion which fits into a smooth arcuate and inwardly formed pocket or recess in the yoke member secured to the upright beam or column in erecting structural steel buildings.

While the present invention embodies all of the merits of the patent, it has as its primary object the provision of additional safety features in the nature of improvements directed to both the bracket leg and the yoke to form a more positive lock between these two members after they are interfitted, and interlocked, so as to reduce the hazard of accidental displacement before the parts are completely welded in place.

According to the invention, an angular bracket attached to the horizontal beam has a medial depending leg provided with a transversely disposed shoulder. A yoke member is attached to a column and has a pair of spaced foot portions with a medial pocket therebetween to receive the leg of the bracket when the two members are connected. The pocket of the yoke has an angular shoulder at its lower edge so as to provide a flush, positive interlocking engagement with the transverse shoulder of the leg of the bracket, to prevent accidental separation of the bracket and yoke. To further preclude any tendency of the engaged shoulders to cam apart upon relative pivoting between the two members the adjacent vertical wall of the leg shoulder is olfset from the adjacent surface of the bracket leg to provide a clearance between the plane of these two surfaces.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth in the accompanying drawings and described in the accompanying specification.

Referring first to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing the prior art yoke secured to the upright column, and the prior art bracket member about to be engaged as set forth in the aforesaid patent;

FIG. 2 is a detail cross-sectional view of the prior art construction shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the parts fully engaged;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the prior art yoke shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detail elevation of the prior art bracket leg shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 (grouped with FIG. 3 for easy comparison) is a top plan view of th e improved yoke with an ofiset keeper rib of angular cross section;

FIG. 6 is a detail elevation of the improved bracket leg, illustrating the angular looking or keeper recess which mates with the locking shoulder of the yoke of FIG. 5 which has the same angular profile;

FIG. 7 is a detail view illustrating the improved bracket leg and keeper yoke in position, about 'to be interlocked; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the improved construction, completely in place and firmly locked together.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. l-4, it will be observed that they illustrate the construction of the patent aforesaid; which includes a bracket 1 welded to a horizontal beam A and having a depending leg 2. Yoke 3 includes offset foot portions 4 which are welded to column C. From FIGS. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the shoulder x on the leg 2 and the lower edge y on the yoke 3 engage on sloping planes at an angle of 7, as indicated. The leg 2 has a protruding, curved toe portion 2' which provides the leg with greater width at this point than the space between the surface of column C and the surface w of yoke 3 so that there is a slight flexing action of yoke 3 and leg 2 as the beam is driven downwardly to force it into position so that the surfaces x and y are in engagement as indicated above.

By way of contrast to the above-referred to shape of shoulder x and edge y, reference may be made to FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 8, which show the improved construction. The new yoke B has on its inset lower edge 5 a medially disposed keeper shoulder 6 of angular cross section in the area of the threshold of a pocket 7 (FIGURE 7). This pocket receives the leg 8 of the bracket D, which, unlike its prior art counterpart, now has a square shoulder 9 on the toe portion 10 which is adapted to mate with and be positively engaged by the angular keeper shoulder 6 on the yoke B.

The square shoulder 9 will be seen to comprise a horizontally disposed planar surface adjacent the vertical shoulder wall 9a. This vertical shoulder wall 9a is offset from the plane of the adjacent inner face 8a of the depending leg 8 for reasons which will become apparent hereinafter.

With the bracket and yoke about to be engaged, as shown in FIG. 7, the beam A is lowered and driven downwardly so that leg 8 and yoke B are flexed as toe 10 engages upper edge 11 of yoke B and the surface therebeneath, to permit shoulder 9 on leg 8 to snap behind the keeper shoulder 6 on yoke B when the beam and column are in assembled position. As shown in FIG. 8, there is thus provided planar locking surfaces 6 and 9 engaging with each other, which more positively resists accidental displacement of the bracket from the yoke than was possible with the structure of my prior patent.

The aforedescribed clearance defined between the vertical planes of the shoulder wall 9a and leg face 8a will be understood to permit a slight counterclockwise displacement of the bracket D without an immediate movement of the locking shoulder 9 away from its engagement with the keeper shoulder 6, which displacement may occur as the other end of the beam A is moved downwardly.

I claim:

1. In a structural beam connection unit, an angular bracket for attachment to a horizontal beam and including a medial depending leg having an inner face and including a toe portion provided with a planar transversely disposed horizontal locking shoulder inset at the top edge of said toe portion.

a yoke including spaced foot portions for attachment to a vertical column and having a medial pocket between said foot portions spaced from the adjacent face of the column to receive said bracket leg when said bracket and yoke are connected,

said bracket horizontal shoulder bounded along its 15 yoke pocket positioned to flushly engage and posi- 20 tively abut with said horizontal locking shoulder and shoulder wall on said leg to prevent relative accidental displacement of the bracket and yoke,

the mating faces of the locking shoulder and the keeper shoulder being disposed at right angles to the path of potential separation of the bracket and yoke.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,624,429 1/1953 Saxe 287-18936 3,017,972 1/1962 SaXe 287-48936 3,097,729 7/1963 Saxe 287189.36

FOREIGN PATENTS 489,181 7/ 1938 Great Britain.

CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner WAYNE L. SHEDD, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

